Chapter 73
Chapter 73
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Dangerous Ability
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At the very moment when all the key players were spending tense times amid the storm,
there was one woman, utterly detached from it all, who was stuffing her breakfast down her throat.
Im Deok-soon, unemployed freeloader, 23 years old.
Sentenced to a real prison term for prostitution, now four months into her sentence.
She was a woman scraping by day by day, riding various lines here and there just to avoid being looked down on.
After boldly cursing at Crow to win his favor, she had been eating side-eye glares from the group and spending her days in grueling isolation. Even while eating, glancing around at others was just part of her routine.
"Piggy!"
"Guhk-! Ehk! Yessum!"
The moment a Villain sharing her room called her nickname, she hurriedly shoved the rest of her food into her mouth and came running, cheeks puffed out like balloons.
Even though her mouth was stuffed so full she could barely chew, the way she diligently worked her jaws to swallow it down was both pitiful and endearing.
"Massage my shoulders. Ugh, my shoulders are stiff from beating that crazy bitch first thing this morning."
Deok-soon quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve and got ready for the massage. By now, it had become part of her daily routine.
But kneading her roommate's shoulders didn't earn her any special favor. She had already screwed up so many times that she was firmly out of favor.
"Isn't it weird, though? She took that brutal beating, and she's still walking around...?"
"Probably got less suppressant. What's the point of wasting it on a retard like her? She just takes it like a champ no matter how hard you hit her."
The silver lining was that the (former) Creep gang members weren't paying much attention to Deok-soon anymore.
Their top priority was, without a doubt, Creep.
Creep, who had ruled over them with charisma, brute force, and sheer madness. Now that she'd lost all three, a fallen queen had nothing left but torment.
Yet what was baffling was this:
No matter how much they beat and stomped on Creep, she never lost that infuriating smile.
On the first day—no, maybe the second—she had been bawling her eyes out.
Now, she didn't even show any sign of pain.
No one could figure out what the hell was going on.
"You think they're skimping on her meds?"
"Well, what else could it be? That crazy Correctional Officer bitch is too busy screwing Crow and messed up again?"
Of course, this bizarre situation worked entirely against Deok-soon.
If the (former) Creep gang lost interest in Creep, the next target in the group would be the weakest link: [Deok-soon].
That's why she was sweating bullets, fidgeting restlessly. Her hands were already drenched from the tension.
"Hey, fuck! Wipe off that sweat and massage!"
"Eek! Yessum...!"
Of course, Deok-soon only had two months left before release, so it wasn't that big a worry. She just had to suck up a bit here and there to survive until then.
But no one wants to get beaten—it's basic human instinct. Deok-soon couldn't let a glamorous, somewhat(?) decent-looking woman like herself get beaten to death in a place like this.
Of course, she did have one reliable backup.
[If you just play it safe and tough it out? You'll get hit more if you stick with us.]
Every other day,
Deok-soon secretly chatted with Lily.
She didn't know why, but Lily was determined to keep Deok-soon alive somehow.
[Just say you lost your mind for a bit, that even you don't understand why you did it, kneel and beg sincerely, and they won't pay you much mind. They're after Creep anyway, not you. Revenge on Creep comes first.]
Lily was not only pretty but scary smart too. Things went surprisingly smoothly when Deok-soon followed her advice.
After bawling her eyes out and begging on her knees for two hours, they really let it slide. For real!
Anyone would brush it off if you clung that annoyingly and banged your head, but Deok-soon felt like Lily's advice had made all the difference.
"Heh, hehet... Feel better now?"
"Oh~ Not bad. This pig's massage skills are getting better!"
After that, she was just scraping by, keeping an eye on the (former) Creep gang. Better to block the fists right in front of her than rely on Scardi, who just watched from afar.
Scardi had no interest in a third-rate nobody like Deok-soon anyway. No intention of protecting her or having her back.
She wouldn't interfere if Deok-soon hung with the others either. As long as they didn't touch Crow, Scardi didn't care.
So Deok-soon hustled like a cockroach, racking her brains nonstop to ensure her own survival.
Lily was so impressed by Deok-soon's survival instincts that she was sure she didn't need to intervene anymore.
Just two months until freedom. As long as she didn't get beaten to death, it'd be a roaring success.
"Hey, Piggy. Check that out."
The (former) Creep gang members clustered around Deok-soon's roommate, trading jokes, watching each other's backs, and getting by.
"If you fought her, who'd win?"
"Uh, um, who knows...?"
Today's topic was, as always, [Creep turned crybaby]. They ripped into Creep to liven up their boring prison life.
"One-on-one, I'd totally wreck her, right...?"
"Ahahahaha! What the hell are you saying, you idiot!"
And who kept them happy? Deok-soon, of course.
She trashed Creep with all her might, turning her into a punchline to secure her own life.
"Why don't you join in tomorrow too?"
"Yessum! Sure!"
Perfect. A few more days of safely beating Creep ahead.
With the immediate fire out, time to tackle the next worry.
Deok-soon had three top priorities.
One: Eating.
Two: Not getting hit.
Three: Crow!
Okay, so three instead of two, but anyway—Deok-soon was dying to know when she'd get another steamy, intense romp with Crow.
[Oppa likes Unnie too, so don't worry too much.]
Lily had tried to reassure her, but even a fool like Deok-soon had a woman's sharp intuition about her man.
At this rate, she might get released without ever banging Crow again. That was a hard pass...!
"..."
To make matters worse, Crow hadn't been looking great lately. He had the face of a bar madam who's seen all the world's filth. Of course, it gave off a unique allure that turned her on even more.
But Deok-soon could easily tell his health was off.
Lily would probably help him out, but she couldn't help worrying anyway.
'Eh, but it's not like I can fix it!'
Still, Deok-soon knew her place and limits crystal clear, so she didn't stress too much.
Stepping up wouldn't change a thing. Best to accept her limits and live with it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Hoo!"
But things didn't unfold as lightly or simply as Deok-soon hoped.
Right now,
she couldn't ignore the perspective of Orca, lounging in her office with her legs stretched out on the desk, basking in the joy of victory.
For the moment, Orca clenched her fist, genuinely thrilled, relieved that she'd claimed even a little more of Crow for herself.
But today was the day for interviews with soon-to-be-released inmates. With the big hurdle cleared, it was back to easy, routine stuff.
Crow seemed to hate Justice so much that Orca still had a shot.
Even if Crow was sickly from drug addiction, wouldn't he feel unexpected fondness if she helped him recover bit by bit?
And honestly,
even if he rejected her, she could keep him locked in this prison and bide her time for opportunities.
Orca met Crow once a day without fail. That alone satisfied her filthy desires, but she wanted to capture him fully, make him entirely hers.
And the key to that was,
pregnancy, of course.
Orca felt her body heating up as she thought of Crow. She couldn't inject him with birth control anymore, but once she got pregnant, she could just tie his tubes.
If some other inmate got knocked up, she'd just call her to solitary. Plenty of excuses—she always turned a blind eye anyway.
"..."
Then,
her eyes fell on the file of Deok-soon, scheduled for today's interview.
Thinking it was time to get back to work, she skimmed the papers,
saw nothing unusual and brushed past,
"...What?"
One line caught her eye.
[Risk Factor Special: Freely manipulates information and communication networks.]
An inmate releasing in two months,
who could freely manipulate info networks?
And one living in C Wing with Crow?
"Hold on..."
She hadn't been unaware of Deok-soon's ability until now. It was just that, in this situation, it suddenly felt like a massive threat.
Plus, Deok-soon had even gotten a warning for sleeping with Crow before. Which inevitably meant interest in Crow, and...
"..."
In other words,
she was a huge obstacle that could derail Orca's plans.
What happened in this prison had to stay in this prison.
Especially if it involved Crow...
Orca had to prevent any leaks, no matter what it took.
At all costs.